Las Vegas is the most recent case of Americans massacring Americans. Why does this keep happening and what can be done about it. Talking about gun control and making sympathetic statements doesn't
change anything.

Submitted: October 08, 2017

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Submitted: October 08, 2017

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The Las Vegas Massacre-Why?

The smoke had barely cleared from the carnage in Las Vegas when Hayley Geffman-Gold wrote on Facebook “I’m actually not even sympathetic bc (because?) country music fans are often
republican gun toters.” Two days after it the Vermont newspaper, the Bennington Banner, published a cartoon showing a big pile of faceless bodies lying on the ground, its caption read
“Whatever happens in Las Vegas…” a reference to the city’s slogan, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” These kinds of responses may not have been uncommon in Nazi Germany, but they are
unprecedented here. Fifty eight people were killed and more than five hundred wounded, and to some it was no big deal! Have we, like the German population during the Second World War,
become accustomed to mass slaughters?

Have we already forgotten: Orlando, Florida 49 dead 58 wounded; Blackburg Virginia 33 dead 17 wounded; Newtown, Conneticut 28 dead 20 children wounded; Kileen,Texas 24 killed 27
wounded? There are many, many more but their stories are similar. Did these people deserve to die because of what might have been their political or religious beliefs, or because a madman wanted to
set a new record for American slaughters? Let’s take a look as some of these people and see what their family and friends thought about them.

"Nicol's heart was bigger than most human beings, her spirit was beautiful, her laugh was infectious, and she just had a way of making every time we gathered an awesome one”

Jack and his wife Laurie were celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary with friends at the concert. He was shot while shielding his wife from the gunfire.

John, a 56-year-old father of six, was fatally shot while shielding a woman from the gunfire.

Brennan shielded his girlfriend and helped others to safety before he was shot dead.

Jordyn was in her fourth year at California State University, San Bernardino. She "was and always will be a role model to many,"

Candice was a single mother of three. Her family described her as a superhero who loved country music.

Jordan, a 25-year-old from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, died holding the hand of a stranger at the concert.

A woman told this story: she somehow ended up next to McIldoon. Even though she didn't know him, she held his hand during his final minutes. , She stayed with him for hours. When his phone rang,
she answered it and learned his name. She relayed the news of his death to his long-term girlfriend and his mother, all the while staying by his side. She said, “I didn’t want Jordan to not have
somebody with him, I didn’t want him to just be a no-named body. I knew who he was, and now I had an obligation to make sure that everyone knew who he was."

A veteran at the scene described being shot at this way: “It's a nightmare no amount of drugs, no amount of therapy and no amount of drunk talks with your war veteran buddies will ever be able to
escape”

A woman attended the concert with her husband, Vinnie , a San Francisco police officer who was off-duty. When the shooting began, Vinnie told his wife to run as he began to render aid to those
wounded.

Charleston, an African American, was many things: a Las Vegas police officer, an accomplished Nevada Army National Guard sergeant first class and a youth football coach. "Charleston lived to serve
the public and protect his family," "This kind of guy comes around once in a blue moon. He was a very special guy to the community."

Bailey was with her mother when the 20-year-old was shot and killed. She graduated from Centennial High School, where she was a cheerleader and played volleyball. She was also a member of the
Valley Bible Fellowship Church.

These are the people that Hayley has no sympathy for, the people that an inept cartoonist scribbled as headless bodies, mocking them with an insipid caption. Some “celebrities” and politicians were
not much better. They wanted their names in the news. They said the same negative things, the same words that these people always say after an event like this, wordss that do nothing
to prevent the next shooting.

The host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" used his opening monologue to call out politicians he indicated were soft on gun laws.

Lady Gaga called the events in Las Vegas "terrorism plain and simple," and asked Democrats and Republicans to unite on gun control .

”Stephen Collbert said, "Now, President Trump.... You do not owe the Republicans anything. You know the Republicans tried to stop you from being president. Well, screw ‘em!”

Hillary Clinton tweerted, “Our grief isn't enough. We can and must put politics aside, stand up to the NRA, and work together to try to stop this from happening again.”

There were also the usual statements of sympathy that don’t solve any problems.

President Trump tweeted, "My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!"

Former President Obama said.” Michelle & I are praying for the victims in Las Vegas. Our thoughts are with their families & everyone enduring another senseless tragedy”

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted, “ Our hearts are with the victims in Las Vegas, their families and loved ones who are grieving this morning”

Mark Cuban offered his prayers to those affected by the shooting.” Prayers to those impacted by the tragedy in Las Vegas. We share the pain of those who lost loved ones and offer hope to those
recovering”

The most appropriate response was made by Carolyn Goodman, the mayor of Las Vegas, “The act and insanity of a madman shall not define us or keep us from living whole and meaningful lives with
pride in our shared humanity," "Our prayers for everyone and a huge thank you to our great law enforcement and first responders.”

Gun control and sympathy, over and over again, every time something like this happens! Has anyone asked, “Why do these things happen?” We know why Isis slaughters Americans, but why do
Americans slaughter Americans? Are they just insane people that want to kill, or are they sane people who have come to believe that the cause they believe in justifies what they do? Why do some
people think it is all right to kill people because they are policemen, Republicans, Christians, Trump supporters or Jews? Is it because of things they have heard or read?

Micah Xavier killed five police officers in Dallas (“What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want it? Now!’) James Hodgkinson shot at Republican congressman practicing baseball (Professor
Jonny Williams posted this about the shooting, “ Let. Them. F***ing. Die. And smile a bit when you do. For you have done the universe a great service." Emanuel Samson Shot people in a church .
Antifa attacked a peaceful right-wing demonstration in Berkley, calling them fascists.

Words are important. Hitler used words to gain control of a nation, he didn’t use a gun. With his words he plunged the world into a war that took millions of lives, he then used them to kill
millions of innocent people who he thought were “inferior”. Guns don’t kill as many people as words do! Still, we shouldn’t ban words and we shouldn’t ban guns. We should think before we use
them. Only reason can prevent slaughter. If the media, politicians and celebrities want to know who is responsible for the massacres, they should look in a mirror and then stop dividing this
nation.

Add Your Comments:

Comments

I think there will be many who will call you crazy for referencing Nazi Germany in this essay, yet, I think it's more than perfect. We live in a country where political violence is now a viable way to disagree with someone, so long as they agree with one view. I was actually just bringing this up, that yes the man was mentally ill, but there is so much radicalizing speech coming from the left that these mentally ill individuals honestly think their actions are benevolent. I believe that many of Jason Aldean's fans are republicans, and that a mentally ill person can hear the words, "These people want people to die, their lives don't have value, their views have no value, they need to be silenced." And it not be a large leap to a mass shooting. I think that no amount of legislation will end the violence, only the depolarization of these groups will do that.

AuthorReply

Comment | 95 words

Tue, October 10th, 2017 12:00pm

I recently finished reading "The book Thief", a story about life in Nazi Germany. The similarities about what happened then and things that are happening now are ominous. Hitler only had the radio at his disposal, the power to influence people is exponentially stronger now. One vicious statement can be magnified hundreds of times. The first amendment does not apply to nongovernment entities. Private companies can restrict speech. It is the responsibility of those people in charge of the various communications companies to prevent "speech" that instils people to act violently to achieve their goals.